General Wang Zhen: Carrying a coffin into battle and cultivating Nanniwan, Chairman Mao appointed him to pacify Xinjiang

In the winter of 1938, the weather on both sides of the Fen River was so cold that it seemed to freeze the whole world. Everything looked gray and cold, but there was a troop standing ready to guard it. Ahead, the Japanese army attacked Fenhe River, pointing directly to the southeast. At the time of crisis, a general stood up.

The general raised his sword and stood on a coffin. He was thin and his eyes were bright. He waved his fist and shouted loudly: "I take the lead and charge forward. If you want to die, I will die first. I will die." Just put it in this coffin."

This general is the founding general of New China, General Wang Zhen. He spent his whole life making great contributions to New China. He was always known for his bravery in the war. In that tragic battle, our side finally won a complete victory. Although the general was seriously wounded in that battle, he returned to the battlefield soon after.

He never seems to be afraid of death, only afraid that the revolution will not succeed. Ren Bishi, one of the five great secretaries, once said of him: "Wang's beard is indeed the hardest."

On April 11, 1908, General Wang Zhen was born in Beishengcang Township, Liuyang County, Hunan Province A tenant family in Maguiqiao Village. He was a child who grew up in poverty and suffering. In the dark old society, children born as tenant farmers had to suffer too much injustice and sorrow.

He faced parents who worked hard but still had neither food nor clothing nor warmth. He had to face beatings and scoldings from landlords despite working so hard. Everything was so unfair.

A child who grows up in exploitation and oppression will definitely take an unusual path. It is his experiences in his youth that make him a complete revolutionary and a strategist who hates evil as much as he hates it.

In 1922, Wang Zhen went to Changsha to join the army with a passion for serving the country. At that time, there were wars and battles every year. Most of the enemies he faced were his own compatriots. He could only fight for others. It was just a fight for power and gain, so Wang Zhen left the army with disappointment.

It is naturally impossible to return to your hometown. In the era of frequent wars, farmers can only be slaughtered by others. Not only can they not live a good life, but they must also be exploited and oppressed by others. So Wang Zhen stayed in the city and became a railway worker.

It was during his time as a railway worker that he came into contact with progressive ideas and the Communist Party of China, as well as Marxism-Leninism, and came up with the idea of ​​joining the Communist Party of China.

During the vigorous National Revolution, he actively participated in the labor movement and once served as the captain of the workers' picket team. At that time, the revolutionary passion had already begun to emerge.

In 1927, he joined the Communist Youth League of China. At that time, the idea of ​​revolution had been enlightened, but he still had only a vague idea of ​​revolution in his heart. However, he firmly believed that there would be nothing wrong as long as he followed the party.

Soon after, in May 1927, because of his outstanding work and outstanding work ability after joining the Communist Youth League, the party held a meeting to discuss and approve him to join the Communist Party of China. From this day on, he became a true member of the Communist Party.

That year, Wang Zhen was 19 years old. He was in his prime and wanted to change the world. He was surrounded by young people with the same ambitions as him. They were either born into poverty, workers or Although enlightened landlords and gentry families have different identities and statuses, they have the same beliefs and goals.

One day in August 1925, Wang Zhen received a task from his superiors to escort a gentleman named Mao Runzhi to the leek garden in Changsha. At that time, he did not know that the white-faced scholar he was escorting was actually a man. Who just felt that the man in front of him was amiable, so he started chatting with him.

The scholar asked him in a friendly voice: "Seeing that you are doing revolutionary work at a young age, why?"

Wang Zhen replied seriously: "For hard work Liberation of the masses!"

The scholar became even more excited after hearing Wang Zhen's voice, and said in a loud voice: "The working class is like the locomotive on your railway, but this is the working class. The locomotive must not only pull the long train forward, but also pull the working people of China, our great Chinese nation, and the great China forward."

Later, Wang Zhen learned that. Mr. Mao is the famous Mao Zedong. This was the first encounter between Wang Zhen and Mao Zedong, and it was also the most unforgettable memory in Wang Zhen's life. It was 5 years before they met again.

In 1929, Wang Zhen participated in the establishment of the Hong Kong revolutionary base area. During the struggle for the construction of the base area, he fought bravely, charged at the front, and fully cooperated with the anti-encirclement and suppression struggle of the Central Revolutionary Base Area. His bravery in fighting made the enemy heartbroken. Frightened, Mao Zedong admired Wang Zhen very much.

Wang Zhen was very excited to see Comrade Mao Zedong again. The words he said five years ago still seemed to be echoing in his ears. He admired Mao Zedong very much in his heart and resolutely implemented Comrade Mao Zedong’s instructions. Correct the instructions for the expansion of counter-revolutionaries and the strategic and tactical principles for crushing the enemy's counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns.

However, due to the separatists within the party, the fifth anti-encirclement and suppression war failed. In desperation, the Red Army decided to start the Long March. This was the greatest long-distance march in Chinese history, and it was also the longest march of the Chinese Communist Party. *The greatest strategic decision in the history of the Communist Party.

During the Long March, Wang Zhen held important positions many times and participated in the command of Chenjiahe, Taozixi, Chestnut Garden and other battles. He dealt a heavy blow to the enemy and effectively cooperated with the Central Red Army's Long March. Made important contributions to the establishment of the base area.

In the war-torn revolutionary years, General Wang Zhen was a well-deserved revolutionary dream. He charged into battle, was not afraid of sacrifice, and turned the tide many times. But what everyone did not expect was that the troops led by General Wang Zhen at that time were A temporary ragtag army.

One day in 1930, Wang Zhen met Chairman Mao again. Chairman Mao asked the young man with a smile: "Do you want to be a regular Red Army?"

" Think about it, even in your dreams!" Wang Zhen replied excitedly.

Chairman Mao then said: "I specifically told eastern Hunan to reorganize the guerrillas from several counties in your area into an independent division of the Red Army. If you bring some backbones to participate, why don't you become a regular division?" The Red Army?"

Wang Zhen was very excited and went to do it. On October 6, 1930, the independent division of the Eastern Hunan Red Army was formally established. The Tan Jiashu and Chaling guerrilla second columns led by Wang Zhen Forming the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division, Wang Zhen became the main founder of the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet Army.

Later, the famous He Long, Wang Zhen once commanded him to fight. He Long admired Wang Zhen all his life. When he mentioned Wang Zhen, his joy was always overflowing. Later, He Long even served as Wang Zhen. The red thread was pulled, and in 1936, with the help of He Long, the 24-year-old female student Wang Jiqing married Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen and Wang Jiqing have gone through the years of marriage hand in hand. They have been close to each other throughout their lives and have written the most touching chapter of love.

In 1937, the Japanese invaders launched a full-scale war of aggression against China and ambitiously wanted to occupy China. The entire nation's war of resistance broke out, and the Double Twelve Incident broke out. Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched a mutiny, forcing Chiang Kai-shek to agree to cooperate with the Kuomintang. The two parties of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China achieved cooperation for the second time and decided to unanimously fight against the invaders.

In October 1937, Wang Zhen was appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar of the 359th Brigade, and made important contributions to the Anti-Japanese War. Wang Zhen led this unit to participate in guerrilla warfare and frontal combat behind enemy lines. During the Anti-Japanese War, he made great achievements.

When participating in the Battle of Fenhe in 1938, General Wang Zhen directly carried the coffin into battle. This move inspired our soldiers and frightened the invaders.

Who would be without fear in the face of death? But Wang Zhen understood that the land behind him belonged to the Chinese nation, and the invaders could not take any of it. Life and death had long been ignored in the face of national justice.

Blood has soaked this hot land, and many years later, a splendid new China will be built here. In that war-torn era, there were countless revolutionary martyrs with beautiful yearnings. In those years of hunger, cold, and bombardment, what supported them was their faith and the idealistic dreams in their hearts.

In August 1939, in order to strengthen the security of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, where the Central Committee of China is located, Mao Zedong decided to transfer the 359th Brigade back to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. Mao Zedong said to Wang Zhen earnestly: "Northern Shaanxi is a poor place and cannot support many troops. We can only put some elite soldiers and generals here."

Wang Zhen naturally understood Mao Zedong's words. So he nodded. Behind the battlefield, Wang Zhen always adhered to his ideals. As long as it was for the revolution, he was willing to do anything. As long as it was for the liberation of the motherland, he was happy to do anything.

After moving back to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, Wang Zhen led the 359th Brigade in several large and small battles 10 times, smashing the Japanese army's attempt to forcibly cross the Yellow River. Chairman Mao was very moved after seeing some of the commanders and fighters of the 359th Brigade. He said happily: "Under the leadership of Comrade Wang Zhen, your 359th Brigade has made great contributions... In short, no matter where you go, you have lived up to the trust of the Party Central Committee and the people of the border area."

But an accident still happened. Seeing that the Anti-Japanese War was about to end and the Anti-Japanese War was about to win, the Kuomintang frantically decided to rebel. Perhaps the reactionaries had plans for all this.

In 1941, the Kuomintang launched the Wannan Incident and set up a blockade, cutting off all connections with the outside world in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. It seemed that it really planned to trap the Central Red Army.

However, the strong Communists will never sit still and wait for death. They have set their sights on the desolate Nanniwan. The immediate solution is to open up wasteland for production and achieve self-sufficiency.

But who will take people there? Chairman Mao thought of General Wang Zhen.

In order to break the Kuomintang's economic blockade on the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, Comrade Wang Zhen accepted Chairman Mao's order and led the 359th Brigade into Nanli Bay. At that time, Nanniwan was deserted, with withered vegetation and raging wild beasts everywhere, but Wang Zhen decided to set up camp here.

In early March 1941, the cold wind of winter had not passed yet. Although it was already the spring season in March, the snow was still falling unbridled. Nanniwan looked particularly desolate and cold, and the hard land was Rejecting everyone who wants to conquer him.

But a group of people came in singing military songs, and the bonfire immediately started burning here. It seemed that they were determined to compete with the cold wind here. The bonfire reflected a determined face. , when he came here, he issued a military order, and he will definitely transform this barren mountain.

In the midst of the burning bonfire, Wang Zhen led the soldiers and shouted: "One hoe and one gun, produce self-sufficiency to defend the Party Central Committee." This is not only a slogan, but also his view of the Party Central Committee. The requirements of every soldier are the goals of their 359th Brigade.

When he was opening up wasteland and farming in Nanniwan, he took the lead and worked with the soldiers to open up wasteland. Even if his hands were full of blood blisters, he still did not stop working. In the era of difficult entrepreneurship, there were no superiors or subordinates. They are just a group of comrades who advance and retreat hand in hand.

Under the leadership of Wang Zhenshen, the soldiers in the army launched a labor competition to catch up with each other. In 1941, the entire brigade cleared 11,000 acres of wasteland. However, this is not enough. In order to achieve self-sufficiency in production, they must open up more wasteland.

Wang Zheng led the 359th Brigade. After two years of hard work, he turned a barren mountain and wild forest full of thorns and swamps into "Northern Shaanxi and Jiangnan". Even if the task is completed, He still doesn't forget to train his troops.

What he wanted to do was not only to open up wasteland, but also to train an all-round army that could farm the land and pick up a gun and go to the battlefield. He used his spare time to launch a large-scale military operation here. The military training activities successfully repelled the harassment of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region by the reactionaries and Japanese invaders.

In 1943, after the observation team leader of the U.S. Army, Colonel Bowery, gave Wang Zhen a thumbs up. He said excitedly in less than standard English: "This is unprecedented in the world. Everywhere is very remarkable.”

After visiting Nanniwan in the autumn of that year, Chairman Mao said very happily: “The Kuomintang wants to starve us to death, and we will become even more trapped. You are getting fatter... You spend nothing here, comrades create everything with their own hands."

The development of Nanniwan was the most satisfying thing in General Wang Zhen's life at that time. The slogan put forward by the army is: "Not a penny, not a step, not a grain of rice from the government, we must be self-sufficient in food funds." It provides a new way of building and raising troops.

In 1944, General Wang Zhen received a new notice, asking him to expand the anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines. His troops overcame all difficulties, fought countless battles, and finally completed all tasks.

When he returned to Yan'an again, his clothes were in rags and his face was full of beard, like a beggar on the run. When Chairman Mao saw Wang Zhen's appearance, he could no longer hold back his tears: "Wang Beard, You have suffered a lot, and returned to Yan'an after a narrow escape. It is amazing. You have accomplished your mission well, very well!"

The nickname "Wang Beard" spread widely, and Chairman Mao was always remembered for him throughout his life. He was very trusted. He was the only founding general who could bring a gun to see Chairman Mao.

On the battlefield, he is a general who charges into battle and can win the battle. In Nanniwan, he was self-sufficient in food, hardworking and capable. General Wang Zhen is a true legend. With his perseverance and tenacious fighting spirit, he wrote about the spirit of a true Communist who is not afraid of all difficulties and forges ahead courageously, and becomes an example for those who come after him to continue to learn from.

In early 1949, the People's Liberation War was victorious. It was only a matter of time before the Communist Party of China came to power across the country. The establishment of a new China was already a certainty. In March 1949, the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held, which discussed the establishment and construction of New China.

Everyone is looking forward to a beautiful and bright new China, eager to build a beautiful motherland. Everything is bright. After fighting for so many years, it is time to enjoy happiness. , how can you not be excited?

However, Wang Zhen stood up and took the initiative to ask Mao Zedong without any hesitation: "I ask to go to the most difficult places, to go to all the places where we need to go, to go to Xinjiang, where liberation is needed. , needs development, and economic development is even more important there. ”

Mao Zedong originally did not want to agree, because the situation in Xinjiang was too chaotic and everything was unclear. But looking at Wang Zhen's determined face, he finally nodded.

On October 10, 1949, after obtaining the approval of the central government and completing the order, the First Corps, the Second Army and the Sixth Army totaling 89,000 people began to go to Xinjiang. The troops sang "Victorious March" In the revolutionary war song of "Xinjiang", the military and political circles in Dihua held a grand welcome meeting. Wang Zhen announced at the meeting that the Xinjiang Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was officially established.

Xinjiang has a vast territory and complex situation. The main force crossed the uninhabited Taklimakan Desert on foot, shattered the enemy's rebellion conspiracy, and created an unprecedented march record. They were not afraid of sacrifices or difficulties, but everything was not. So easy, conquering Xinjiang must overcome many obstacles.

On September 28, 1949, the Kuomintang officers and soldiers stationed in Hami rebelled, burned, killed, and looted everywhere, and robbed 12 boxes of gold and silver stored in the Hami branch, as well as more than 500 kilograms of gold shipped from the Lanzhou Bank. Not only that, they also collaborated with the local bandit leader Usman in Xinjiang to kill people and rape women.

Usman is not only a bandit, but also an armed spy of the United States. Faced with the complex situation in Xinjiang where rebels, bandits, spies, and foreign forces colluded with each other, Wang Zhen decisively decided to send troops to encircle and suppress Xinjiang, using thunderous means to quell the rebellion in Xinjiang and the arrogance of the enemy.

General Wang Zhen's strategy at the time was: "Fight these bandits for what they can win. If they can't win, they must use cannons to reason and bayonets to teach them a lesson."

For The enemy is as hard and cold as iron, and has the means of thunder to end everything. For the people, he was very warm and caring, as gentle and enthusiastic as the sun. He ordered the herds seized by the troops not to be confiscated, but to be returned to their original owners, and the herdsmen were allowed to keep their shotguns.

Thanks to the efforts of General Wang Zhen, Xinjiang entered a period of stability. He is in Xinjiang. A series of policies were created to allow farmers to have their fields and people to live and work in peace and contentment. At that time, farmers in Hami said: "Turn all the trees in the world into pens and the rivers in the world into ink. Even if everyone in the world can write, they can't finish it* Thanks to the kindness of the Communist Party and Chairman Mao.”

Thanks to Wang Zhen’s painstaking efforts, Xinjiang’s gross industrial production reached 36 times that of 1949 by 1953. He contributed to Xinjiang’s modern industry and agriculture. laid an important foundation for its development.

In 1955, Wang Zhen was awarded the rank of general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He never forgot his original intention and kept his mission in mind. Beginning in 1956, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation for a long time, overcoming difficulties that ordinary people could not imagine and building socialist agriculture. It also cultivated the farming spirit of hard work, continuous self-improvement and courage to explore.

During this special period, Wang Zhen always believed that this was just a rebellion. He believes that the Communist Party of China will overcome all difficulties and lead the Chinese people to have a better tomorrow. He has never doubted his beliefs or the Communist Party of China.

When Wang Zhen, who had devoted all his energy and strength to the revolution, fell on the hospital bed, he refused to undergo surgery. He felt that he was already old and no longer needed to waste medical resources.

No one tried to persuade him. In the end, people around him had no choice but to ask Deng Xiaoping for help. Deng Xiaoping wrote a letter to Wang Zhen, asking Wang Zhen to relax and do the surgery well. Wang Zhen was in tears. He saluted on the hospital bed and said in a trembling voice: "Follow Chairman Deng's orders."

After fighting for the revolution all his life, his body has collapsed. He is the one who left this world at the age of 85. numbers, but his spirit is more than just a series of numbers. On March 12, 1993, General Wang Zhen passed away in Guangzhou. Central leaders were extremely sad when they mentioned the news.

General Wang Zhen could have entered the Babaoshan Martyrs Cemetery. He dedicated everything to the revolution and deserves the respect of all future generations. However, he felt that he had not done anything but for the faith in his heart. It was nothing more than struggle. He left a suicide note, donated his corneas, and then scattered his ashes in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang.

He dedicated everything he could to the motherland, made the greatest contribution to the cause of communism, and always unswervingly believed in the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Full of confidence in the Communist Party of China, he is a true proletarian fighter.

After devoting everything he had, he lay quietly on the land he had fought for and stood firm for. The pure white and holy snow in Tianshan Mountain never melts all year round. Always guarding his clean and clear soul.